


Have We?

by camichats



Category: Marvel
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bucky Barnes & Winter Soldier are Different Personalities, Dimension Travel, First Meetings, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:27:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25171615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/camichats/pseuds/camichats
Summary: Tony was a little older than average when he found his soulmate. Because his soulmate didn't exist on this planet until he came through a portal from a different dimension.
Relationships: Tony Stark/Winter Soldier
Comments: 12
Kudos: 358
Collections: StarkBucksBingo2020





	Have We?

**Author's Note:**

> For StarkBucks bingo B3-AU: Soulmates

**_We've met before._ **

Tony didn't know what to make of his soulmark. 'We've met before' weren't exactly the first words someone was likely to say to you. So either his soulmate was a liar, or they ran out on Tony without saying anything back the first time that they met. Which basically meant that Tony was keeping an eye out, not for new people like everyone else, but people he'd seen around before but not talked to. 

It was a pretty hard thing to manage, and the older Tony got, the more convinced he was that this whole soulmate thing wasn't going to turn out that well for him. The only new people at these things were arm candy, and Tony didn't fancy looking like his father-- showing up at age forty to these things with a woman who was twenty. 

...And then he past forty without a hint of his soulmate, and then Afghanistan happened, and he wasn't going to worry about it. He probably was going to meet his soulmate during an Iron Man gig, and he didn't have the _time_ to worry about it. If he tried to keep note of every single person he saved or helped, he'd be too distracted to do any good. 

So, y'know. He was just kind of sitting around waiting for fate to come to him. Some people could force it or at least hurry it along-- like Rhodey and Carol-- but Tony was going to have to sit on his ass and wait for fate to do its thing. It wasn't a concept he was familiar with practicing, but hey, first time for everything. 

Tony groaned and banged his head down on the table. "I'm sorry. You're telling me that Reed had another dimensional crossover a _week ago_ , and we're only just now hearing about it?" 

"We thought we'd be able to return everyone to their proper universes," Sue said. 

"Yeah okay, that's fair," Tony said, raising his head again. "And it's not like you have to tell us everything the Fantastic Four gets up to since most of it is out of our scope, but why are you telling me about it now?" 

"We were able to send back everyone but two people, and they asked if they could stay with this universe's Avengers team." 

Well, at least that explained why Tony was getting told about it. "Who are they?" 

"They've introduced themselves as Winter and Jess." 

"Winter. Like the Winter Soldier? Another Bucky Barnes?" 

"It's a sensitive subject." 

"Sue, I can't let the Winter Soldier live here if he's still got Hydra brainwashing in his head. That shit took almost a year to root out of Bucky's brain, and I can't start it with him even if he wants it because interrupting the process could cause permanent brain damage." 

"How about you meet Winter and try asking him all these questions yourself?" Sue suggested. 

"I haven't even said yes, yet." 

"We both know you will." 

Tony pouted. "I don't like it when you're right because it normally means that I'm wrong." 

"If you agreed with me more often, we wouldn't have this issue." 

Not that it was really a big issue. Sue was awesome. The only real regret Tony had with her was that he hadn't met her before Reed because working with her full time would be one of the best things ever. Of course, then she wouldn't be Invisible Woman, so it was all kind of a moot point. Tony sighed. "Fine. Ship 'em over. Do they have any chance of getting back or are they stuck here?" 

"I'm not sure they have worlds to get back _to_." 

"What does that mean?" 

"In some universes, time flows differently." 

Tony nodded. "I remember when Johnny was missing. Three months here and two years there, right?" 

"Exactly. But instead of a one to eight ratio, it's more like one to a thousand. There aren't enough traces of their existence in their home dimensions for us to be able to find the right one, and even if we somehow could, all their friends and family would be dead. For all we know, their Earths are no longer inhabitable. A meteor, Galactus, there's just no telling what might have happened. Reed is keeping an open search running for them, but we've already told them not to expect anything from it. It has less than a half of a percent of working, but it's still enough that we want to keep it. As far as we're concerned, they're here for the rest of their lives. Let me know if they don't work out on the team, and I'll try to ask around and see if anyone else is available." 

"Nah, I can give the all-call myself if it turns out to be necessary. I'll get both of them set up with rooms tonight. When will they be by?" 

Sue pushed herself up from her chair, hands resting on the table. "I'll get to Baxter Tower and come back with them. Or-" she amended "-Johnny will be over with them. I'm supposed to take Val and Franklin to the aquarium today." 

"I'm surprised they want to go," Tony said, getting to his feet. He started to walk Sue to the elevator even though he knew that she knew the way. 

"Val wants to observe the jellyfish to confirm a theory she has, but we won't let her go in a submarine to do it herself, so this is the compromise." 

"No offense, but Val makes me happy that I never had kids. I'm not sure I'd be able to deal with that sort of thing. I can barely deal with _myself_ having off the wall ideas." 

"It's not that bad once you get used it. And there's no saying that you _won't_ have kids still." 

"Eh. Adopting the younger heroes is about as far as I'm willing to go. Raising someone from a baby all the way to adult? That's too much responsibility." 

Sue snorted. "That's your prerogative. You should drop by Baxter sometime. I know Reed would appreciate the visit when it's not life-threatening." 

"I'll pencil it in," Tony promised. 

The elevator doors closed, and Tony shook his head. Another Winter Soldier, and someone named Jess. This was going to take some getting used to. Still, stranger things had happened, so he wasn't going to be too worried about it. 

* * *

"Here are your new recruits!" Johnny said, beaming and arms held out like he was a presenter. "Spidey around?" 

"Uh, he's alive, somewhere. That's all I can tell you for certain." 

"I'll go find him," he said, then left just as quickly as he'd come in. 

"Nice to see you too," Tony said dryly. The door finished swinging closed, and he turned to the new arrivals. One of them definitely looked like Bucky, but with clones and the whole Hydra fiasco, it was impossible to say for sure if it _was_ Bucky. He'd kept his hair long, and there was a beard growing along his jaw. He had a prosthetic arm as well, and his was gleaming silver in the sunlight coming through the windows. He had a custom glove on that hand, made of some material with extra grip. It covered his palm and had strings leading up to his fingertips-- likely so he could pick things up without anything slipping. 

The other woman looked like a typical superhero: beautiful, strong, and with a casualness in her posture that hinted at enhanced strength or some sort of telekinetic power. She had thick black hair tossed over her shoulder, and bits of her costume peeking out from under the civilian clothes that she was wearing. He couldn't see much, only that it looked like she preferred red and gold as well. There was red fabric on her neck, likely a variance of spandex from how completely it molded to her skin, and there were golden gloves that disappeared under the sleeves of her jacket. A one-piece, then, like Spider-Man. He wondered idly if she had a mask too, but it probably didn't have a hood with that much hair. 

"Hi, I'm Tony Stark-- Iron Man." 

"We've met before," Winter said. 

Tony felt a sudden rush of warmth. He'd read about it, but nothing could have prepared him for how it actually felt. Like that first slip into a hot tub: all encompassing and like a blanket of comfort wrapped around his soul. Those were his Words that Winter had just said, and really, what were the chances that someone from an alternate universe was going to be his soulmate? For fuck's sake, it was no wonder that he hadn't been able to find his soulmate sooner. "Not this version of me," he ended up saying. He could ask him about the soulmate thing later. It was always possible that their universe didn't have soulmates, so there was no point in bothering him when there were other, more important details to see to. Besides, he didn't want to have an audience for that conversation even though he was sure Jess was fine-- the Fantastic Four were pretty good judges of character. "I'll get used to whatever you end up wanting to call me, but Tony is going to be your best bet here in the beginning. You're Winter and Jess, right?" 

Winter gave a single nod. 

"Or Jessica, if you prefer. Jessica Drew. I'm Spider-Woman." 

"We've got a Spider-Man, he'll be your best bet for sparring," Tony said, but Jessica shook her head. 

"Similar names, but if this universe is like the others I've been to, we have a completely different set of powers. The Peter in my universe was Spider-Man, but we don't fill the same position." 

"Are you and Winter from the same universe?" 

Jessica shook her head. Winter, for his part, looked like he was just waiting for this conversation to end. "But I've met you before too. I used to work for you in my universe." 

"Don't you mean 'with' me?" 

"No. I was an agent for S.W.O.R.D.." 

Tony had a feeling he was going to regret this, but, "Sword?" 

"You don't have that here?" 

"Uh, no. What is it?" 

"It replaced S.H.I.E.L.D. when it fell. Have you had S.H.I.E.L.D.?" 

"Yeah, they're still around. But why would you be working for me?" 

"You were the director." 

"Me? The director of a covert intelligence agency?" He snorted. "I don't think me and your Tony had a lot in common." 

"I think you have more in common than you think," she replied quietly. "Not to be rude, but do you mind if I catch a nap? It's been a long week." 

"Of course. Follow the green lights; Jarvis will direct you to your room." 

She nodded in thanks, and then she left, following the lights as Jarvis brought them up. 

"Did you want to get some rest too?" Tony asked Winter. 

Winter blinked at him. "You trust me," he stated. "Why? We've barely met. Is there a Bucky Barnes in this universe? Do you trust him so fully that it would transfer to me?" 

"There's a Bucky Barnes here, but I wouldn't describe us as close." 

"Then why?" 

"Do you have a soulmate? Or- do you have soulmates in your universe?" 

"There are people that think so," he said, which meant no. 

Tony rolled up his sleeve, then slid down the black piece of fabric he had covering it down to his wrist. He turned his arm so that his soulmark was facing Winter. "Well, it's real here. It's the first words they say to you. And so far, you're the only person to have this be the first thing you say to me. It's not exactly a common introduction." 

Winter looked at his mark. "That's real." 

"Yeah." He held back the automatic, defensive comment about what the hell else would it be? A fashion statement? "Not that I'm trying to say I'm in love with you or something, but there's a- well, connection is probably the best word for it. In this universe, at least." 

Winter hadn't taken his eyes off the words. "Can I... touch?" 

Tony made a motion with his other hand as if to say 'be my guest'. 

He took a couple steps closer so that reaching out would mean they were touching. With his flesh and blood hand, Winter touched him, fingertips grazing the black words. He pressed his fingers more fully to Tony's skin, then let out a shuddering breath. "I don't know what this means." 

"It's okay. It doesn't have to mean anything." 

"But it could," Winter argued. 

"It could," Tony allowed. "But I don't expect for you to put the same stock in soulmates that I do." 

Winter was quiet for a moment. "I didn't expect for any version of Tony Stark to believe in fate." 

"How can I not when all the universes I've seen have an Iron Man? I made every single decision that got me here, but some things are constant. It doesn't cheapen what I went through just because a hundred other Tony's have done it too." 

"You're right." 

"Thanks," Tony said with a smirk. "But I already knew that." 

Winter snorted, his touch more of a caress than questioning like it had been before. "Earlier. You were right earlier. We haven't met before. But I'd like to." 


End file.
